Cardiac pacing leads are well known and widely employed for carrying pulse stimulation signals to the heart from a battery operated pacemaker, or other pulse generating means, as well as for monitoring electrical activity of the heart from a location outside of the body. Electrical energy is applied to the heart via an electrode to return the heart to normal rhythm. Some factors that affect electrode performance include polarization at the electrode/tissue interface, electrode capacitance, sensing impedance, and voltage threshold. In all of these applications, it is highly desirable to optimize electrical performance characteristics at the electrode/tissue interface.
Surface and bulk materials currently used as electrodes for biomedical devices may result in inflammation in the vicinity of the implanted device and/or the formation of fibrous scar tissue. Such scar tissue may diminish signal transduction between the tissue and the device. One potential characteristic of inflammation and/or scar tissue is a deficiency of fluid at the electrode-tissue interface.